29 Oct, 2024

FPL’s Budget Strikers Ranked : Game Weeks 10-14

FPL’s Best Budget Strikers

With only 1 return in his last 4, confidence has been fading in Haaland (£15.4m) amongst the FPL community, not least because of his enormous £15.4m price tag. What makes moving on from Haaland even more compelling, is the plethora of great options in midfield such as Palmer (£10.9m), Saka (£10.0m), Salah (£12.7m) and Mbuemo (£7.7m). FPL managers should begin to consider if that £15.4m is therefore better spent on supercharging their midfield options.

Another key argument for such a move, is the elite selection of budget forwards, who could help accommodate all these great midfield options.

But who are the best budget forwards? We’ve taken a closer look and have ranked our favourites for the next 5 game weeks.

8. Danny Welbeck (£5.9m)

xG per 90: 0.55

xA per 90: 0.04

Ownership: 19.7%

A fun surprise this season has been the emergence of Danny Welbeck as a prolific goal scorer. While traditionally not his game, with 6 goals and an assist already this season, it is hard to argue with the results. Welbeck will be impossible to drop in his current form, especially with 3 in his last 3, but there are a few concerns for the next few games.

The first is the injury he picked up against Newcastle which Hurzeler described as ‘Very painful’, and despite playing through it and even scoring, he was later substituted after 70 mins. The return of Ferguson and imminent return of Joao Pedro also spell further concern of Welbeck’s minutes.

But the main drawback for bringing him in is the upcoming fixtures. With clashes against City and Liverpool in their next 2 and a large ownership percentage of 19.7%, there are just better options at this spot for the upcoming game weeks.

7. Liam Delap (£5.7m)

xG per 90: 0.22

xA per 90: 0.01

Ownership: 5.7%

After a slow start top the season, Delap has also proved a fun surprise for FPL owners as he seems to have found his flow. Despite registering lower xG and xA than a lot of the others in this list, Delap’s finishing has been clinical. He has recorded 4 goals in his last 4 games and we see no reason why this can’t continue with a great set of fixtures coming up.

The only thing that makes us slightly wary is the team he plays for. Ipswich sit 2^nd last in the Prem xG table and generally do not play the most expansive brand of football. If £5.7m is your budget, then there are better options available such as Raul and Strand-Larsen, but at 5.7% ownership Delap provides some good differential value.

6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m)

xG per 90: 0.40

xA per 90: 0.05

Ownership: 5.4%

In theory Calvert-Lewin presents as a great FPL option, particularly for managers who brought him in around game week 6 in their wildcard. He has great fixtures, decent xG and plays for a team who are unbeaten in their last 5. But in reality he has just been a disappointment for those who owned him (Me included if you couldn’t tell). Maybe he is cursed, who knows.

The chances have been there though, and his lack of return against Ipswich where he registered an xG of 1.31 has left managers thoroughly disappointed. Everton do have a great set of fixtures coming up however, so if you did want to transfer him out, now is probably not the time. On fixtures alone he is a good option at £6m.

5. Jorgen Strand-Larsen(£5.5m)

xG per 90: 0.22

xA per 90: 0.05

Ownership: 1.6%

Despite Cunha being the main man at Wolves, Strand-Larsen offers a much cheaper route into Wolves’ excellent upcoming fixtures. Strand-Larsen profiles as the more direct of the 2 and has found himself in some good form of late scoring 2 in his last 3.

His main appeal however, comes from the fact he is not only the cheapest striker on the list at £5.5m but also the least owned at 1.6%, providing great value as a cheap differential option.

4. Chris Wood (£6.4m)

xG per 90: 0.46

xA per 90: 0.02

Ownership: 17%

FPL’s 2nd highest scoring striker comes in at number 4 on our list for the upcoming set of fixtures. Now don’t get me wrong, no one loves a bit of Chris Wood more than me, but we do have to be slightly cautious before bringing him straight in.

Nottingham Forest are one of the leagues more defensive teams, and despite sitting 7th in the league table, they have scored less goals than 19th place Wolves and sit 13th in the xGF standings.

Wood has also been massively outperforming his xG, which while proving a testament to his finishing ability, also suggests that this streak will be hard to maintain. With fixtures against Arsenal, City and Newcastle in their next 5, and an ownership percentage of 17%, there may better options available at £6.3m. Despite this, it is hard to argue with his current form so bringing him in is certainly not a bad decision.

Wood did pick up a knock against Leicester however, so keep an eye on our injury report before making any moves.

3. Matheus Cunha (£6.5m)

xG per 90: 0.28

xA per 90: 0.20

Ownership: 3.4%

There is not a single team in the league who has had a harder run of fixtures to start the season than Wolves. Having played City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa, Newcastle, Brighton and Brentford in their first 9 games. We will therefore take any xG and xA figures with a pinch of salt, particularly when it comes to assessing value for the next 5 fixtures.

Wolves are finally being rewarded for that tricky stretch with some excellent upcoming fixtures, which provide the main basis for Cunha clocking in at #3.

Their next 8 fixtures include Southampton, Leicester, Ipswich, Everton, Fulham, West Ham Bournemouth and Crystal Palace. An appetising set to say the least.

Given Cunha’s talismanic status, presence on penalties, low ownership and potential in the creative department, he provides an excellent budget option. Although at £6.5m he is on the more expensive end, we believe it is worth it given their upcoming run.

2. Raul Jimenez (£5.7m)

xG per 90: 0.59

xA per 90: 0.19

Ownership: 10.2%

The Fulham frontman has been in imperious form recently with 4 goals and 1 assist in 6 starts. Perhaps even more impressive however, has been the xG he has put up during that stretch, boasting an xG per 90 of 0.59, and an xGI per 90 of a whopping 0.78. Fulham have scored in every single one of their last 8 matches and have stood out as one of the league’s most attacking teams this season.

At £5.7m Raul is also one of the cheapest options on this list. Combine this with great fixtures over the next 5 and a fairly low ownership percentage of 10.2%, Raul comes in at #2 in our budget striker rankings.

1. Yoane Wissa (£5.9m)

xG per 90: 0.86

xA per 90: 0.07

Ownership: 3.9%

Brentford have been playing a very expansive brand of football, having scored more than  both Arsenal and Liverpool this season. Toney’s departure has left a lot goals up for grabs, with most being shared between Mbuemo and Wissa. Before missing 3 games due to injury, Wissa recorded 3 goals and 1 assist in his first 4 games of the season, and a goal and an assist in his first start since returning.

Although Mbuemo has been grabbing headlines for his fine form, Wissa boasts an xG per 90 of 0.86 and an xGI of 0.93, 2^nd only to Haaland for players with over 400 minutes played this season. Wissa is also on the cheaper end of budget strikers at only £5.9m. With Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton and Leicester in their next 4, and an ownership percentage of only 3.9% Wissa cements himself as our #1 budget striker.

For more great budget options check out our Hot Picks section!

By: George Lean

Last Updated: 29/10